Issue 88 - Spy

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Spy

Scots born explorer Jock Wishart and Old Pulteney whisky have unveiled a remarkable mission to conquer what could be one of the world's last great ‘firsts': to row to one of the world's Poles.

‘Old Pulteney Row to the Pole' will see Jock and a five strong crew brave some of the harshest conditions on earth as they row in a specially designed boat through Arctic waters to reach the pole – a feat of extreme physical and mental endurance that has never before been attempted and if successful, will rank alongside the first row across the Atlantic.

The challenge will take place in July/August 2011 and is of global significance as both a pioneering maritime adventure and an environmental expedition. The planned 450 mile route across the Arctic sea starts in Resolute Bay in Canada with timing being of the essence as the final section of the journey is only navigable for a few weeks of the year before refreezing. It has only become possible to consider an attempt like this in recent years due to the increase in seasonal ice melt and the much-documented deterioration of the Arctic landscape.

The Old Pulteney Row to the Pole will be the first polar expedition to involve rowing since Ernest Shackleton's men took to their boats to save their lives in the South Pole, on his now legendary 1916 Imperial Trans- Antarctic Expedition.

“A few years ago a good rowing friend joked that a row to the pole would be the ultimate challenge for someone like me, passionat...